


Litmus Paper

by Scedasticity



Series: Alchemy [3]
Category: Shadow Unit
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 21:16:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scedasticity/pseuds/Scedasticity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A summary report.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Litmus Paper

**Author's Note:**

> This is the full version of the report excerpted in the _Chemistry_ 'Litmus' section.

_"This is the weird case that turned up in the police misconduct investigation._

The incident prompting the investigation and the earliest one associated with this case occurred on November 22-23, 2008, at a party in the suburb of Hillview. (See police report, appended.) Briefly, the party was hosted by Hillview Area High School senior Brianna Pederson (18), whose parents were in Florida for the weekend. All of the concretely identified party guests were Hillview students or, in two cases, dating Hillview students. Not all guests were identified.

_"They think at least sixty people at the party, maybe more, but they got twenty-two names. People scattered when the cops showed up, and they didn't realize there was any reason to go after them."_

At 1:08 am, November 23rd, there was a 911 call saying that there was a loud party with underage drinking and drug use at that address. A patrol car was dispatched. While the officers were at the door speaking to Ms. Pederson, they heard screaming inside the house. They investigated. The screaming came from the house's furnished basement, where partygoers trying to had from the police had discovered Bradley Tate (17) and Jim Meisner (18), both with chemical burns believed to be of anomalous origin.

Tate was injured by a mixture of beer, nitric acid, and trace amounts of graphite. It was poured or thrown directly into his face, probably from a plastic cup found at the scene. He sustained partial-thickness chemical burns over most of his face and probably permanent damage to his vision.

Meisner was injured by a higher concentration of nitric acid, without beer, still containing traces of graphite. It appears the acid was in a plastic screw-top bottle in his pants pocket, and something caused the lid to burst off. The acid saturated his clothing, which he was unable to remove. He sustained nearly full-thickness chemical burns to right anterior pelvic region and partial-thickness chemical burns to central anterior pelvic region (including genitals) and right hip, buttocks, and thigh.

_"There are pictures. They're about what you'd expect."_

The injuries appear to have been inflicted around 12:00. It seems the music upstairs was too loud for any cries for help to be heard. Evidence confirms the physical presence of nitric acid, rather than something mimicking its effects.

While these injuries are serious, it is important to note that the scene was strongly suggestive of interrupted sexual assault, and after some initial confusion both Tate and Meisner claimed they could not remember any of the events leading up to their injuries. In short, there is good reason to believe the acid attack was actually self-defense.

_"The 'I can't recall's are suspicious, but not as much as Tate's uncle wrangling control of the case over to his task force and immediately shelving it."_

The presence of a third party in the room at the time of the attack was confirmed by a stain of mixed blood and saliva, deposited at approximately the right time. The (female) DNA was not in the system, and did not match any of the female party attendees who were identified and consented to give a sample.

_"They got nine samples for comparison, all already confirmed to have been at the party. At this point they decided there were more female potential party attendees than there were sources of nitric acid accessible to high school students, and aggressive pursuit of the acid source would be much safer, politically speaking, than aggressive pursuit of an underage sexual assault victim. They switched focus without pursuing a few fairly obvious lines of inquiry."_

Police were unable to find the source of the acid. The only identifiable fingerprints on the remains of the bottle in Meisner's pocket were those of Meisner himself; he stated that he did not remember where he had gotten it. Police also did not determine the cause of the burst bottle. Upon present reexamination, investigators suggested it might have been due to sudden increase of pressure inside the bottle. No explanation has been put forward for the graphite traces. Both the pressure increase and the graphite could in theory be side effects of anomalous creation of acid.

_"I'd really like to know what it was before it was nitric acid, but if there were traces then, they're gone now."_

The second group of incidents occurred over the next six months at Hillview Area High School. Five explosions involving bananas were reported to the local police; there were also three occasions where it appeared a banana had exploded without witnesses.

_"If you're wondering, it is just barely possible to type that with a straight face."_

The mechanism for the explosions was not determined, and the remains, being perishable, were not available for examination. The explosions spread banana pulp to radii ranging from two to fifteen feet, depending on the incident. Witness statements indicate the pulp was heated; although temperature was not taken and the pulp cooled quickly, two bystanders at one explosion sustained superficial burns, treated with cold water. Four out of the five observed explosions were timed and located so as to guarantee plentiful witnesses. The remaining observed explosion occurred during a class period, but the banana had been placed on the floor immediately outside the central administration office.

_"It didn't do any damage to the door, but when the principal came out to investigate, he slipped on part of the peel. Not hurt, but very embarrassed."_

Apparent results of banana explosions were found in the men's locker room shortly before a basketball game, immediately outside the A/V room, and in an art classroom. The results were messy, but caused no serious property damage and no injuries.

_"From what the people at the school -- those who weren't out with the flu -- said, it was explosions, 'bombs', so it had to be Taken Seriously, but no one took it very seriously. The explosions weren't big, but I think mostly it was the banana factor."_

The direct cause of the banana explosions can currently be given only as 'chemical reaction'. There is no evidence to suggest that any strong acid was involved, nor were any explosive devices found. Apart from the probable anomalous nature of the explosions, the banana incidents are basically high school pranks.

_"And not nearly as big a problem as that time some seniors blew up the baseball mound, I was told, and much funnier."_

More costly were a series of incidents involving rapid destruction by rust/corrosion of various school infrastructure and furnishings, many of them corrosion-resistant steel and _several of aluminum alloys_. The first several of these occurred in December, before any of the banana explosions, and involved student desks in classrooms. The issue came to light when a student sat down, and both of desk's front legs broke about six inches up. Inspection discovered the corrosion-resistant steel to have rusted almost all the way through about six inches up from the floor. Further investigation

_"Specifically, every student checking their desk before sitting in it."_

found several additional desks with rust damage in the same part of the legs, of varying severity. These were treated as typical equipment failure rather than vandalism, and not further investigated.

 _"Which is really too bad. Comparing the classrooms with affected desks to students' class schedules could have been very informative, but all anyone could tell me was that the collapsing desk was in an English classroom usually used by a teacher currently out with the flu. I went to look in. The substitute appeared to be showing the class_ Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame _."_

Extensive but superficial corrosion was found on one area of the gym bleachers as they were being collapsed after a pep rally, and on the flagpole in front of the school. A series of cafeteria forks were corroded to the point of unusability. Two locks of classroom doors rusted shut. What all of these have in common is that they were in places where a student might have to wait to be allowed in or out, or where a student might be confined to a class or pep rally which holds no interest for him or her. They could easily be the result of boredom. It is noteworthy that neither the bleachers nor the flagpole were damaged anywhere near what would be necessary for collapse, collapses which could have caused serious injury had they occurred.

 _"Speculation: I think the collapse of the desk was unintentional -- the_ corrosion _of the desks may even have been unintentional. Everything after that was on purpose, but the... jammer had learned from the desks and was careful to maintain structural integrity of the larger targets, extending the damage in surface area, not depth."_

There were also more targeted rust incidents, including the locks on several students' lockers, the doors of several students' lockers, a filing cabinet in the assistant principal's office, and various articles of athletic equipment. The school remained, and remains, mystified as to the cause of all this.

_"One student produced a painting with the title 'Beware the Rust Monster!' and gave it to the school. I'm not sure how amused administration was, but it's hanging in a chemistry classroom. It's why the teacher told me about the rust at all, actually -- I'd come to talk to her about the acid, then noticed the painting and asked about it."_

The final and most dramatic corrosion incident occurred in early June, the last week of the school year.

_"The appropriate time for a grand finale."_

Hillview students, upon finishing lunch, are not permitted to leave the cafeteria area until the bell rings. This prohibition is represented by a double door which blocks the hallway and is enforced by a hall monitor. Only adults and students with passes are allowed through. Typically, a large crowd of impatient students gathers in front of the door waiting for the bell.

At 11:59, a student used the doors without incident. At 12:05, a staff member had difficulty opening the door, and it reportedly made a very loud screeching noise; in retrospect, a sign of corrosion of the hinges. At 12:14, the hinges crumbled and the doors fell over. Due to the very short -- for rust -- time scale, the school was even more confused. They felt someone had to have caused it, but had no idea who or how. Local police did not feel it required their attention.

_"Needless to say, the student body was delighted."_

The school retained the video of the hall at the time of the event, although they were unable to learn anything from it. A series of stills are appended.

 _"I'm not sure when they last had their cameras updated. However, despite the lack of quality, you can see this girl standing in the same place, against the wall about two feet from the doors, never closer, for the entire time. Also, she seems to be eating an entire bag of Skittles._ That _is one Alberta 'Alby' Aldrich."_

The school has had no apparently-anomalous incidents since restarting in September. Due to evident versatility of this manifestation, it is impossible to say that there have been no anomalous events since June -- there probably have been -- but there have been no suspicious chemical attacks reported in the metro area.

Based on the known incidents, the logical conclusion is that the anomalous individual responsible was a graduating senior at Hillview Area High School, sexually assaulted at the November 2008 party.

_"Now we come back to the fairly obvious lines of inquiry not pursued by local PD."_

The 911 call regarding the party was made by a graduate student at the university, Chloe Friedman, who did not live or work in the vicinity. Police asked her why she had been in the area; she said her cousin had needed a ride home. Police did not pursue this further. Friedman has three cousins in the metro area. One of them, Alberta Aldrich (17), was at that time a senior at Hillview Area High School. The time lapse between the estimated time of the acid attack and the 911 call is plausible, considering transportation time and other factors.

 _"So far as I could tell, police never asked whether the cousin had needed a ride home_ from the party _."_

The video of the collapsing doors at the high school is also suggestive of Aldrich's involvement; we looked into her further.

Alberta Aldrich is the youngest (by five years) of three siblings in a financially comfortable family. Her parents separated when she was seven. They never officially divorced, but her father moved to and is still living in Japan. Starting immediately after the separation, her mother employed nannies to handle the children when she was at the office or out of town. They never kept the same nanny for more than six months, and most tenures were significantly shorter. We interviewed Renee Williams, the nanny who lasted the longest. She was fired after Alfred ("Fred"), the middle child, received a 'D' in freshman English. Williams stated that she believed Alberta Aldrich had been suffering untreated depression.

_"Among other less charitable comments on the family's mental health in general. She said she wouldn't be surprised if none of the kids made it to thirty -- specifically, she predicted a heart attack for the older sister, an ambiguously intentional overdose for Alberta, and I quote, 'a bungee-jumping accident or something' for the brother."_

The Hillview Area High School guidance counselor for students with last names A-K said that Aldrich was almost certainly a chronic drug user, but was never actually caught at it. Several of her habitual associates were. She was not a diligent student, and barely scraped through multiple classes. Graduation was not considered a foregone conclusion, especially for the first two years of high school. Both the counselor and other school staff contrasted Aldrich with her older sister Alexandra, an exceptional student.

Aldrich's mother was distant and uninvolved, not responding to repeated contact from the school regarding her daughter's conduct. They would leave messages with the mother's secretary and hear back from one of the siblings, even before the older sister moved back home in 2007.

_"The counselor said Alberta was an attention-getting device which never got any attention from the person she was probably aiming for. Her junior year was still bad, but better than the first two -- the school gives credit to the sister coming back. That may be because the school thinks the sister was perfect, but it does seem like the sister was consistently aware that Alberta existed. That was junior year. The next year…"_

Following the November 2008 incident, Aldrich's behavior at school changed markedly, but in a nonstandard way. She may have drastically reduced or even eliminated her drug use, and definitely cut off contact with most of her previous social group. Her academic focus and performance both improved. She started planning for the future.

_"I quote: 'After three and a half years of slacking off, mouthing off, cutting class, cutting school, and generally acting as if consequences are something that happen to other people, she decides she wants to go to college, and expects me to arrange it.' That may be somewhat exaggerated."_

Aldrich's primary interest was still chemistry, previously the only class in which her performance could be described as good.

There are several aspects of the Aldrich case inconsistent with typical anomalous presentation. Most obvious is the drop from serious injury to vandalism and pranks. Given, again, the evident versatility of the manifestation, it is possible that Aldrich attacked other victims, in other places, by other methods, but no such incidents have been identified; it seems unlikely.

_"Her mother's still alive and apparently well, for one thing. I'm not sure how a gamma could resist that relationship."_

Second, no one noticed a sudden weight drop. They were aware of Aldrich's underweight condition, but said she was 'always like that', including her eating habits -- one of her most frequent rule violations was having food where she wasn't supposed to.

_"I'm guessing that one kept up even after she shaped up otherwise."_

According to the counselor, about half Aldrich's teachers expressed concern about possible bulimia, starting in middle school. Her siblings said she was 'always like that'. Yearbook photos bear this out for high school years at least.

_"It looks like sophomore year was the nadir physically as well as behaviorally."_

Thirdly, when still in elementary school, Aldrich was assigned a 'describe yourself' essay; this essay was included in her permanent record for purposes of psychological evaluation. (The school had recommended counseling, but it seems it never occurred.) Aldrich wrote about how she did not taste and smell like everyone else, and consequently could not enjoy food like everyone else, but just knew what everything was made of chemically.

_"She correctly used the word polymer and the chemical formula for glucose -- and said she eats when she has too little glucose. She also misspelled 'read' in three different ways, thoroughly confused 'to', 'too', and 'two', abused apostrophes, and had all of one sentence which was not in some way grammatically flawed."_

(Former nanny) Williams said that Aldrich's brother occasionally referred to her as "The Human Smoke Detector", and confirmed that she was seldom very interested in desserts, except inasmuch as she was interested in all food. She also said Aldrich could tell if someone had consumed alcohol in the last three hours. The high school chemistry teacher said Aldrich (in her junior year) had an uncanny talent for identifying chemicals and judging concentrations, and was more reliable than some of their equipment. Due to this talent, the chemistry teacher believes Aldrich was the one responsible for an anonymous tip in June 2007 regarding distribution of tainted, unsafe recreational drugs.

 _"That was at the end of her sophomore year, the worst one. That year did_ not _have any exploding fruit or mystery rust."_

Aldrich is presently enrolled in a two-year degree program at Excelsior University, an area technical college, seeking certification as a laboratory assistant. Whether this is a career goal or a way to get more chemistry education without admission to a four-year college is unknown. The situation is stable. The investigation to the present point has been low-profile so far as Aldrich is concerned; none of those interviewed are likely to speak to her or to her close associates. Getting any closer will be more intrusive, but of course much information could be learned from Aldrich's family and Aldrich herself.

_"Dealing with the family should be... interesting... but I think it's necessary."_

Pending further investigation, we would tentatively classify Aldrich as a beta, with an internal manifestation of hypersensitive smell and hyperawareness of chemical composition, first appearing sometime before adolescence. It appears that being assaulted in November 2008 was the stressor for breakthrough to an external manifestation involving manipulation of chemicals; behavior since suspected breakthrough is not consistent with that of a gamma.

_"If nothing else, I think we need to talk to her before anyone else does."_


End file.
